Far away in our dry southwestern country is an
Indian village, set in front of a high MOUNTAIN, towering up
out of the desert. It is considered a great feat to climb this
MOUNTAIN, so that all the BOYS of the village were
eager to attempt it. One day the CHIEF said, "Now
BOYS, you may all go today and try to climb the
MOUNTAIN. Start right after breakfast, and go each of you as
far as you can. Then when you are tired, come back; but let each
BOY bring a twig from the place where he turned.

Away the BOYS went full of hope, each feeling
that he surely could reach the top. But soon a small BOY came
back, and in his hand he held a leaf of cactus and gave it to the
CHIEF. The CHIEF smiled and said, "My BOY,
you did not reach the foot of the MOUNTAIN; you did not even
get across the desert," Later a second boy returned. He carried
a twig of sagebrush. "Well," said the CHIEF,
"You got as far as the MOUNTAIN springs." Another
came later with some bucks horn. The CHIEF smiled when he saw
it and spoke thus, "You were climbing: you were up to the first
slide rock."

Later in the afternoon, one BOY arrived with
a cedar spray, and the old CHIEF said, "Well done, you
went halfway up." An hour afterward, a BOY came with a
switch of pine. To him the CHIEF said, "Good, you went
to the third belt, you made three quarters of the climb.

The sun was low when the last BOY returned.
He was a tall, splendid BOY of noble character. His hand was
empty as he approached the CHIEF but his face was radiant. He
said, "My father, there were no trees where I turned back. I
saw no twigs, but I saw the shining sea." Now the old
CHIEF'S face glowed too as he said aloud and almost sang.
"I knew it! When I looked on your face, I knew it. You have
been to the top. You need no twigs for token. It is written in your
eyes and it rings in your voice. My BOY, you have felt the
uplift; you have seen the glory of the MOUNTAIN.

Oh, ye Scouters, keep this in mind, then; the badges
we offer for attainment are not prizes. Prizes are things of value
taken from another. Scout badges, though are merely tokens of what
you have done, or where you have been.. There are mere twigs from
the trail to show how far you have gotten in climbing the
MOUNTAIN.